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Northrop Grumman Corp. headquarters moving to Washington, D.C., area

January 4, 2010 | 1:43
pm

Northrop Grumman Corp., the nation’s second-largest defense contractor and the last remaining major aerospace firm with headquarters in Los Angeles, said today it will move its corporate office to the Washington, D.C., area.

In a blow to Southern California, the company said it was engaged in a search to identify a specific location within the Washington, D.C., region, including the district, Maryland and Virginia. It plans to complete the search by spring 2010 and open the new corporate office by summer 2011.

"As a global security company with a large customer base in the Washington, D.C., region, this move will enable us to better serve our nation and customers," Wes Bush, chief executive officer and president, said in a statement.

The new corporate office will include about 300 people. Although the company is moving some corporate staff, California remains a significant location for Northrop’s research, development and manufacturing, the company said, noting that it still will have about 30,000 employees, a quarter of Northrop’s worldwide employment, work in the state.

-- Peter Pae

Photo: Northrop Grumman's stealth bomber test vehicle "Spirit of New York" participates in a fly-by demonstration during the 20th anniversary of the first flight of the B-2. It was designed in Hawthorne and built in Palmdale. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times